Kish Island eyes new airlines

Kish, the Iranian free trade zone island in the Arabian Gulf, is hopeful it will be able to attract new airlines to fly to the island in a bid to boost tourism numbers.

Kish Island, popular with tourists from mainland Iran, is currently served by its own carrier, Kish Air, and charter flights.

It now wants airlines, including from the Gulf, Turkey and Russia, to launch their own regular commercial passenger services, said Mohammad Reza Jabbari, Tourism Deputy High Adviser at the Kish Free Trade Zone (KFZO).

Kish is looking to double visitor’s numbers to 3 million in 2014, according to the KFZO.